Tory MPs need to give Rishi Sunak he space he needs to change British politics for good, a senior cabinet minister has urged as plots to have him replaced have intensified.
Science Secretary Michelle Donelan launched an impassioned defence of Mr Sunak as Conservative MPs began discussing replacing the Prime Minister in as little time as two weeks.
Proposals of a coronation of a new leader are being aired publicly with Penny Mordaunt and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps the two early frontrunners.
But Ms Donelan has made an impassioned defence of the Prime Minister insisting that the successes of his long term vision are already coming into fluition and calling on her fellow Conservative MPs to give him time.
Ms Donelan, who heads up the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology created by Mr Sunak, insisted that he wants to create a culture of “long term decision making” and replace the short termism based around elections.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, Ms Donelan pointed to two major achievements via her department which prove that Sunak has a strong vision for the UK.
She has just returned from the G& science and technology ministers summit in Verona where Mr Sunak’s Bletchley Park conference last year was hailed as the start of a new era of cooperation on artificial intelligence.
The so-called “Bletchley effect” has made Brexit Britain a world leader with major companies investing in the UK and even US President Joe Biden acknowledging that the UK was th elead voice on the technology of the future.
She also pointed out that under Sunak there has been a massive digital connectivity rollout in the UK which means 81%of the country now has access to 4G compared to 6% of the country in 2019.
Ms Donelan said that this shows he has a plan which Tory MPs need to stick by.
Ms Donelan said: “The government does have a plan and we are delivering on that plan. This isn’t just about short termism. This isn’t a government that is only interested in policies that are going to help our election process. This is a government that’s putting the British nation first.
“That speaks to the heart of what my department is about and some of the decisions that I’m making in my department will have an impact, not just on our lives, but my child’s future in the Britain that he will grow up in. That speaks to the Prime Minister’s personal attributes, I think and his determination to change the way that we do politics in this country so that we are focused on the long term planning.
“If you look at what we are doing on smoking and other areas, this is a government that has a plan that is working. The Prime Minister set out five priorities that come up on the doorstep, when I canvass in my own constituency or I support other colleagues around the country.
“We’re making progress on them. If you look at how inflation has come down from 11 to 4%, if you look at how the economy is recovering, which has then enabled us to be able to give those tax cuts, which will mean an extra £900 to the average worker in the country in their pocket a year to spend more on their family.
“I’m a strong believer that people are best placed to spend their own money. And this is the government that is ensuring that we deliver on that.”
